Community Reviews

This a handy little book. Iliad Book I is a stand alone dramatic masterpiece, and all students wishing to appreciate Homer must read it very early on -- all 611 lines. It has an excellent summary of Homeric grammar, a complete vocabulary, and helpful notes. Unlike Draper's Iliad, Book 1, this book leaves the student on his own to do the work of actually translating. Unfortunately, in its reprinted form today the font quality is rather poor and even difficult to read in places -- a drawback.

I dare not and need not comment on the great beauty of this classic. I can only say that this student edition provides a good introductory text with pertinent commentary that aids the sense of the Greek. There is a front-facing literal English translation that can be helpful if the student becomes hopelessly stuck, but hurtful if the student is hopelessly undisciplined. I did find that the binding does not take much abuse (and frequently translation requires long periods with the book open to aI dare not and need not comment on the great beauty of this classic. I can only say that this student edition provides a good introductory text with pertinent commentary that aids the sense of the Greek. There is a front-facing literal English translation that can be helpful if the student becomes hopelessly stuck, but hurtful if the student is hopelessly undisciplined. I did find that the binding does not take much abuse (and frequently translation requires long periods with the book open to a single page; soon the pages start to come out of the book.) ...more

In the Western classical tradition, Homer (Greek: Όμηρος) is considered the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of ancient Greek epic poets. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is unknown. Herodotus estimates that Homer lived 400 years before his own time,In the Western classical tradition, Homer (Greek: Όμηρος) is considered the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of ancient Greek epic poets. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is unknown. Herodotus estimates that Homer lived 400 years before his own time, which would place him at around 850 BCE, while other ancient sources claim that he lived much nearer to the supposed time of the Trojan War, in the early 12th century BCE. Most modern researchers place Homer in the 7th or 8th centuries BCE.The formative influence of the Homeric epics in shaping Greek culture was widely recognized, and Homer was described as the teacher of Greece. Homer's works, which are about fifty percent speeches, provided models in persuasive speaking and writing that were emulated throughout the ancient and medieval Greek worlds. Fragments of Homer account for nearly half of all identifiable Greek literary papyrus finds....more